Eye of the Whale Trail

Eye of the Whale Trail is a 5.1 mile lightly trafficked out and back trail located near Moab, Utah that features beautiful wild flowers and is rated as moderate. The trail offers a number of activity options and is accessible year-round.

We took the full 4x4 road from east to west on the Salt Wash Valley road, up the Tower Arch path, back southeast through the desert to Willow Springs Road and then out to the main park road.

This was my FIRST off-roading experience in my diesel Jeep and it was exhilarating. I was definitely nervous in a few of the steep, sheer rock spots and did get stuck once in the sand/rocks, but was fortunately able to maneuver my way out (thank you, diesel torque). I also had a small altercation with a rock face (the rock face was undamaged) when I got a little overzealous in the sand. A wild ride.

It was definitely a challenge for me, but it fueled my desire for more. I would definitely recommend this path, and would gladly do it again (though I'm probably going to invest in a lift kit before my next adventure).

Great easy to moderate trail for off road vehicles. We went east to west on BLM rd 378 (I can't remember the name of the road off the top of my head) and took the turn off the the arch. It gets a bit narrow so watch the mirrors! Also, the road continues north to Tower Arch but that road is for, in my opinion, experienced drivers with capable vehicles. Nothing super hard, but there is some climbing and narrow spots to watch out for. No mini vans! If you do want to continue on the road, check in with the rangers first to determine the condition of the road as it is not always maintained and will be closed after rain. They told us to go start at the north end and go south, however there is a Double Difficult section coming off the Salt Valley Road. We have a souped up 2011 Tacoma with some kits on it and we made it after a few trys. A gentleman in his stock jeep tried and failed and turned around (we passed him on the way up). This time of year, everything was covered in snow, so that added an extra challenge to the adventure :)

The Eye of the Whale Arch in on the south part of the Arches 4X4 Road. The south end comes out at the Balanced Rock; the north end breaks off the Salt Vallley Road. Traveling north of the Eye of the Whale is discouraged as there is a very sandy hill that can be traveled north to south, but not south to north. The eye of the whale arch is south of the sandy part, so it can be reached from balanced rock.